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Old "Grayton Beach" memories
- Thread starter JC
- Start date
Landlocked
Beach Fanatic
Re: Old "Grayton Beach" people from the 60's & 70's
I was there! Just don't remember it. My folks have been going for years. I've heard many stories about staying in little concrete block cabins and shopping at "the store". I do remember one trip down because we had about four box fans in the back of the car. (No AC in those cabins!) And everybody had their own flyswatter. :laughing1
I was there! Just don't remember it. My folks have been going for years. I've heard many stories about staying in little concrete block cabins and shopping at "the store". I do remember one trip down because we had about four box fans in the back of the car. (No AC in those cabins!) And everybody had their own flyswatter. :laughing1
JB
Beach Fanatic
Re: Old "Grayton Beach" people from the 60's & 70's
My family started coming to Destin/Grayton in the early 1950's. My earliest memory of the area is probably the late 1960's. There was no 30-A at the time, just dirt roads running down from 98 to the beach (although I *think* 283 was paved at the time).
There were a few houses at Grayton, a handful at Blue Mountain, a handful in what is now called Old Seagrove, and that's about it.
There was zero development between Seagrove and PCB, and of coures, there was no Sandestin.
Gulf front lots sold for around $15K during this period.
My family started coming to Destin/Grayton in the early 1950's. My earliest memory of the area is probably the late 1960's. There was no 30-A at the time, just dirt roads running down from 98 to the beach (although I *think* 283 was paved at the time).
There were a few houses at Grayton, a handful at Blue Mountain, a handful in what is now called Old Seagrove, and that's about it.
There was zero development between Seagrove and PCB, and of coures, there was no Sandestin.
Gulf front lots sold for around $15K during this period.
Last edited:
steele mama
Beach Fanatic
Re: Old "Grayton Beach" people from the 60's & 70's
I've been there since 1954... hmm. the year I was born. Oldtimer is my sis, I, however am not an oldtimer. My life was The Store, the lake and the beach. Running home for a pbJ sandwich. Fudgcicles at The Store. "The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore", "White Shade of Pale" and "Little Red Riding Hood" on the juke box. Watching the original moonwalk at the Kennedy's house in 1969. Lonesome Pine, Magnolia Cave. Waiting for the DeFuniak guys to show up on Friday night. (I won't say we were desperate.) One trip to Panama City every summer to visit The Miracle Strip Amusment Park. How sad...it is no more. So many good memories and then raising my 4 girls there with new memories. God is good!
I've been there since 1954... hmm. the year I was born. Oldtimer is my sis, I, however am not an oldtimer. My life was The Store, the lake and the beach. Running home for a pbJ sandwich. Fudgcicles at The Store. "The Sun Aint Gonna Shine Anymore", "White Shade of Pale" and "Little Red Riding Hood" on the juke box. Watching the original moonwalk at the Kennedy's house in 1969. Lonesome Pine, Magnolia Cave. Waiting for the DeFuniak guys to show up on Friday night. (I won't say we were desperate.) One trip to Panama City every summer to visit The Miracle Strip Amusment Park. How sad...it is no more. So many good memories and then raising my 4 girls there with new memories. God is good!
Re: Old "Grayton Beach" people from the 60's & 70's
I remember summers at Grayton in the 60s and 70s. There were no restaurants or bars, only "The Store." People who wanted a beer had to pick it up at the Green Knight package store on U.S. 98, put it in a paper sack, and drink it sitting on the steps of The Store. On a good day, you might get a stale hot dog, out of the same cooler where the live bait was stored! We all carved our initials into the wooden walls, floors and booths and danced to a jukebox in The Store. The hotties went out back amongst what were then towering dunes to make out. Jim Bishop drove around the beach like a madman in an open jeep, with a mean German sheperd dog running alongside the jeep. We ran round and round Washaway House, swore it was haunted and made up ghost stories about it by bonfires on the beach. Little posses of children ran around everywhere and spent the night with friends' families wherever they ran out of steam. A special treat was a trip to Panama City Beach, to play Goofy Golf at that huge Pharoah or to dance at The Hangout. The gorgeous Wardlaw girls were lusted after by every guy in DeFuniak and the Bludworth boys were the best looking guys on the beach. The late Skeeter Cadenhead, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident before his eventual death in a car accident, made a girl faint when he accepted a dare to stab himself in the "leg." Every time we go to Grayton, I walk up and down all the little streets and the beaches recalling stories of those days. If you wrote about it, no one would believe it.
I remember summers at Grayton in the 60s and 70s. There were no restaurants or bars, only "The Store." People who wanted a beer had to pick it up at the Green Knight package store on U.S. 98, put it in a paper sack, and drink it sitting on the steps of The Store. On a good day, you might get a stale hot dog, out of the same cooler where the live bait was stored! We all carved our initials into the wooden walls, floors and booths and danced to a jukebox in The Store. The hotties went out back amongst what were then towering dunes to make out. Jim Bishop drove around the beach like a madman in an open jeep, with a mean German sheperd dog running alongside the jeep. We ran round and round Washaway House, swore it was haunted and made up ghost stories about it by bonfires on the beach. Little posses of children ran around everywhere and spent the night with friends' families wherever they ran out of steam. A special treat was a trip to Panama City Beach, to play Goofy Golf at that huge Pharoah or to dance at The Hangout. The gorgeous Wardlaw girls were lusted after by every guy in DeFuniak and the Bludworth boys were the best looking guys on the beach. The late Skeeter Cadenhead, who lost a leg in a motorcycle accident before his eventual death in a car accident, made a girl faint when he accepted a dare to stab himself in the "leg." Every time we go to Grayton, I walk up and down all the little streets and the beaches recalling stories of those days. If you wrote about it, no one would believe it.
Kurt
Admin
Re: Old "Grayton Beach" people from the 60's & 70's
http://graytonbeach.com/pinkston.html
http://graytonbeach.com/history.html
http://graytonbeach.com/delene.html
http://graytonbeach.com/pinkston.html
http://graytonbeach.com/history.html
http://graytonbeach.com/delene.html
Re: Old "Grayton Beach" people from the 60's & 70's
Take it from one who literally spent part of each year of her life at Grayton Beach, those really were the days....the 60's and 70's. The age of innocence when we didn't know any better than to just enjoy "being" at the beach. Skeeter was a legend and I'm sure no one was surprised when he died young, maybe we were surprised he lived as long as he did. Everyone of us that experienced those times has special and unique memories of the magic of Grayton.
The nights were even more special than the days. Open doors and windows full of the night sounds...crickets, frogs, rustling leaves, the jukebox, and an occasional car on the hard road. Playing cards at different houses. Lots of PBJ sandwiches. Running a tab at the "store". I still don't know how our parents settled the bill at the end of the summer as there were a lot of us Pinkstons charging ice cream and Cokes. VanEs would just write it down on a small pad. Each family had a ledger. No debit card, no ID, no interest charges either!!
The thought of doing out to dinner never ever crossed our minds. My Granddad did go to Chapman's across the bay bridge occasionally, but there was not a single place to eat out without driving to Destin or Panama City and our family wouldn't consider that. We did however eat lots of good southern dinners with fresh vegetables (from the produce truck that came by a couple times a week) and plenty of ice cold watermelon.
We really should organize a reunion of the people that were lucky enough to have spent summers at Grayton during the 60's and 70's. Any volunteers?
On another note, our house will be 50 years old next summer and we are working on a BIG celebration. Lots of history there and we are looking forward to 50 more years!
Guess you can see why my name is "OT"
kurt said:
Take it from one who literally spent part of each year of her life at Grayton Beach, those really were the days....the 60's and 70's. The age of innocence when we didn't know any better than to just enjoy "being" at the beach. Skeeter was a legend and I'm sure no one was surprised when he died young, maybe we were surprised he lived as long as he did. Everyone of us that experienced those times has special and unique memories of the magic of Grayton.
The nights were even more special than the days. Open doors and windows full of the night sounds...crickets, frogs, rustling leaves, the jukebox, and an occasional car on the hard road. Playing cards at different houses. Lots of PBJ sandwiches. Running a tab at the "store". I still don't know how our parents settled the bill at the end of the summer as there were a lot of us Pinkstons charging ice cream and Cokes. VanEs would just write it down on a small pad. Each family had a ledger. No debit card, no ID, no interest charges either!!
The thought of doing out to dinner never ever crossed our minds. My Granddad did go to Chapman's across the bay bridge occasionally, but there was not a single place to eat out without driving to Destin or Panama City and our family wouldn't consider that. We did however eat lots of good southern dinners with fresh vegetables (from the produce truck that came by a couple times a week) and plenty of ice cold watermelon.
We really should organize a reunion of the people that were lucky enough to have spent summers at Grayton during the 60's and 70's. Any volunteers?
On another note, our house will be 50 years old next summer and we are working on a BIG celebration. Lots of history there and we are looking forward to 50 more years!
Guess you can see why my name is "OT"
